Monday, September 27, 2010
Delicious
I made falafel yesterday. It was amazing. Garam masala really made it work. However, I think my days of mashing chickpeas by hand (and for a brief time, using a hammer) are coming to an end. I plan to browse some mashing technologies before the next time I crave some falafel. And maybe figure out how to make yogurt sauce.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Ghosts at the Prom
Okay, second half of my Nairobi adventure. This one is going to be a long one, I expect.
Tuesday morning, I was a bit slow moving, but it helps to pace myself in Nairobi. I started by heading down to Parklands (an area of Nairobi near City Centre) to try to track down some people. I visited the office that had flooded and saw the damage and the fact that none of the staff was in and quickly moved on. Fortunately, my next meeting was just down the street. Unfortunately, I didn't realize this right away, because the streets often feel like a maze (I lived in Boston for four years, which felt pretty similar), but after asking a half dozen people for directions, I found the building. I had a nice talk with the staff at TechnoServe, and they seem interested in working with us moving forward. Then I headed to Barclays to exchange my Tanzanian shillings for Kenyan shillings. I was waiting in line behind some British gentleman who had been in Nairobi for some time, and felt that he was entitled to lots of special treatment. After twenty minutes of him harassing the teller and trying to draw sympathy from me for his plight (gee whiz, what a poor spoiled ex-pat) I gave up and left the bank with my dwindling supply of Kenyan money. I ran to the store and bought a juice before heading to my next meeting.
I told the matatu conductor to drop me at Afralti and he agreed. I don't remember that part of Nairobi as well, so I got out where he told me to alight. And then I discovered I was about 1 km down the road from where I wanted to be (the matatu was headed in that direction, but apparently the conductors on that route don't know their stops). I walked (with the sheller set on my back) to my destination and showed up sweaty and disheveled. As I walked in, I was greeted by some Peace Corps staff members who asked if I needed anything for my session. I decided that my first priority was to clean myself up a bit and regain my composure. Then I started chatting up a few of the new volunteers and managed to convince one of them to let me use his computer. As I was doing the set-up, he was getting really excited about my talk.
Meanwhile, I was frantically editing my presentation on Appropriate Technology (Jackie and I had written it together in April 2009--with a heavy dose of inspiration from Amy Smith--but I hadn't looked at it since then) as the room was filling up. I didn't feel like it was my best presentation (I don't think I fully regained my composure), but there was some definite interest from the audience and I had a nice Q&A session before handing it over to the next presenter. I stuck around a bit longer and added some files to one volunteer's computer of various manuals I have accumulated over time (these will likely be quickly spread around the Peace Corps Kenya network). I had a few volunteers come up to me afterwards and tell me that I had given the best session in their week and a half of training (one volunteer used the phrase "only good session"), and they were pretty excited about GCS's work, and several volunteers were wondering where they could order a machine.
Then I chatted with a high school friend who is in the new group of volunteers and we bonded about the Peace Corps experience. As we were talking, one of the other volunteers invited me to the prom-themed party that they were having on Wednesday night. I told them that I would do my best to make an appearance. I also spent a while talking to a Peace Corps staff member about how much staff has improved what they're doing since the debacle with my group (currently, 24 of the original 42 volunteers are still in the program, compared to the group that came a year after us, which has not lost a single volunteer). Then I realized that it was getting late, so I hurried back to Upper Hill (with a stop at a currency exchange that gave me a much lousier rate). At that point, I realized that I had forgotten to eat the entire day (I had a tiny muffin for breakfast and 2 liters of juice the rest of the day). I wolfed down two meals in quick succession and crashed by 10 PM.
Then, I was awake again at midnight. My brain wasn't feeling sharp enough for much reading, so I sent a few emails from my phone. Then I went to spend some time with the puppies. Mostly, I spent my time tossing and turning. It was 4 AM before I fell back asleep (I also abandoned hope of sleeping in the bed, and opted to curl up on the floor in the corner). Wednesday morning wound up being rather slow moving.
I took care of a couple of personal errands in the morning before setting off in the afternoon for Kariobangi, on the eastern extremity of Nairobi. The trip wound up taking an hour and a half. Part of the issue was that the matatu conductor wouldn't let me out where I asked (he alleged he was concerned about my safety) and then drove around making fifteen more minutes of stops before heading back and leaving me off 100 meters closer than where I had previously asked and demanding a tip for "helping" me out. I gave him 15 shillings, which was all the change I had on hand (also half the cost of the ride) and then he pocketed it and told the driver that I hadn't given him any kind of tip.
I walked through a small market to the KickStart technology facility (my previous visit is documented here). I really enjoyed my meeting this time. I talked with Alan, who runs the technology work and led development of the small-scale pump they have (much more affordable than their medium-scale pumps). We talked a lot about manufacturing and design and he was terribly sympathetic to the fact that I was showing up 45 minutes late. Then he dropped me a bit closer to town as he went home for the day.
I had to take two matatus (and walk through a moderately sketchy part of town) to make it back to where the volunteers were having their prom. When I arrived (completely underdressed), I found that the volunteers were on a field trip, but one of them had stayed behind, so we talked for a while about business and development (he had joined a very large company in its start-up phase, and was apparently neighbors with a prominent CEO before coming to Kenya). He seemed to be impressed with our work at GCS and I was blown away by his background and all the work he is already accomplishing in Kenya.
As I walked around Afralti, I thought back to my previous trip to the compound back in January of 2009 for swearing in. There were two locations in the dorm where I had physical reactions as the past came back to me and I was haunted by some of the volunteers who were administratively separated (the Peace Corps equivalent of getting fired) from my group right before swearing in. I thought back to packing up a friend's room faster than I've ever packed in my life because it was apparently imperative that she leave the country in the blink of an eye. I remembered talking to another friend and coaching her on a conversation that she was supposed to have with the country director, only to find out that the "conversation" was another staff member handing her a letter saying that she was being sent home, no questions asked. I've always had trouble letting things go, I guess.
Fortunately, the prom was a wonderful affair. I was amazed by how well-dressed everyone else was, though plenty of people were sporting flip-flops. They were mostly playing American music from the last 15 years, but I kept sneaking in and putting on Swahili music (and P-Square)It was really nice to socialize with old friends (some older volunteers who were around from my time in the program) and new friends. And by the time 3:30 AM rolled around, I was sitting with some Kenyans and a couple of the older volunteers and discussing regional geo-politics.
I made sure to thank the prom organizers for a wonderful time. I can now say that I have happy memories at Afralti, which was certainly not the case before.
Tuesday morning, I was a bit slow moving, but it helps to pace myself in Nairobi. I started by heading down to Parklands (an area of Nairobi near City Centre) to try to track down some people. I visited the office that had flooded and saw the damage and the fact that none of the staff was in and quickly moved on. Fortunately, my next meeting was just down the street. Unfortunately, I didn't realize this right away, because the streets often feel like a maze (I lived in Boston for four years, which felt pretty similar), but after asking a half dozen people for directions, I found the building. I had a nice talk with the staff at TechnoServe, and they seem interested in working with us moving forward. Then I headed to Barclays to exchange my Tanzanian shillings for Kenyan shillings. I was waiting in line behind some British gentleman who had been in Nairobi for some time, and felt that he was entitled to lots of special treatment. After twenty minutes of him harassing the teller and trying to draw sympathy from me for his plight (gee whiz, what a poor spoiled ex-pat) I gave up and left the bank with my dwindling supply of Kenyan money. I ran to the store and bought a juice before heading to my next meeting.
I told the matatu conductor to drop me at Afralti and he agreed. I don't remember that part of Nairobi as well, so I got out where he told me to alight. And then I discovered I was about 1 km down the road from where I wanted to be (the matatu was headed in that direction, but apparently the conductors on that route don't know their stops). I walked (with the sheller set on my back) to my destination and showed up sweaty and disheveled. As I walked in, I was greeted by some Peace Corps staff members who asked if I needed anything for my session. I decided that my first priority was to clean myself up a bit and regain my composure. Then I started chatting up a few of the new volunteers and managed to convince one of them to let me use his computer. As I was doing the set-up, he was getting really excited about my talk.
Meanwhile, I was frantically editing my presentation on Appropriate Technology (Jackie and I had written it together in April 2009--with a heavy dose of inspiration from Amy Smith--but I hadn't looked at it since then) as the room was filling up. I didn't feel like it was my best presentation (I don't think I fully regained my composure), but there was some definite interest from the audience and I had a nice Q&A session before handing it over to the next presenter. I stuck around a bit longer and added some files to one volunteer's computer of various manuals I have accumulated over time (these will likely be quickly spread around the Peace Corps Kenya network). I had a few volunteers come up to me afterwards and tell me that I had given the best session in their week and a half of training (one volunteer used the phrase "only good session"), and they were pretty excited about GCS's work, and several volunteers were wondering where they could order a machine.
Then I chatted with a high school friend who is in the new group of volunteers and we bonded about the Peace Corps experience. As we were talking, one of the other volunteers invited me to the prom-themed party that they were having on Wednesday night. I told them that I would do my best to make an appearance. I also spent a while talking to a Peace Corps staff member about how much staff has improved what they're doing since the debacle with my group (currently, 24 of the original 42 volunteers are still in the program, compared to the group that came a year after us, which has not lost a single volunteer). Then I realized that it was getting late, so I hurried back to Upper Hill (with a stop at a currency exchange that gave me a much lousier rate). At that point, I realized that I had forgotten to eat the entire day (I had a tiny muffin for breakfast and 2 liters of juice the rest of the day). I wolfed down two meals in quick succession and crashed by 10 PM.
Then, I was awake again at midnight. My brain wasn't feeling sharp enough for much reading, so I sent a few emails from my phone. Then I went to spend some time with the puppies. Mostly, I spent my time tossing and turning. It was 4 AM before I fell back asleep (I also abandoned hope of sleeping in the bed, and opted to curl up on the floor in the corner). Wednesday morning wound up being rather slow moving.
I took care of a couple of personal errands in the morning before setting off in the afternoon for Kariobangi, on the eastern extremity of Nairobi. The trip wound up taking an hour and a half. Part of the issue was that the matatu conductor wouldn't let me out where I asked (he alleged he was concerned about my safety) and then drove around making fifteen more minutes of stops before heading back and leaving me off 100 meters closer than where I had previously asked and demanding a tip for "helping" me out. I gave him 15 shillings, which was all the change I had on hand (also half the cost of the ride) and then he pocketed it and told the driver that I hadn't given him any kind of tip.
I walked through a small market to the KickStart technology facility (my previous visit is documented here). I really enjoyed my meeting this time. I talked with Alan, who runs the technology work and led development of the small-scale pump they have (much more affordable than their medium-scale pumps). We talked a lot about manufacturing and design and he was terribly sympathetic to the fact that I was showing up 45 minutes late. Then he dropped me a bit closer to town as he went home for the day.
I had to take two matatus (and walk through a moderately sketchy part of town) to make it back to where the volunteers were having their prom. When I arrived (completely underdressed), I found that the volunteers were on a field trip, but one of them had stayed behind, so we talked for a while about business and development (he had joined a very large company in its start-up phase, and was apparently neighbors with a prominent CEO before coming to Kenya). He seemed to be impressed with our work at GCS and I was blown away by his background and all the work he is already accomplishing in Kenya.
As I walked around Afralti, I thought back to my previous trip to the compound back in January of 2009 for swearing in. There were two locations in the dorm where I had physical reactions as the past came back to me and I was haunted by some of the volunteers who were administratively separated (the Peace Corps equivalent of getting fired) from my group right before swearing in. I thought back to packing up a friend's room faster than I've ever packed in my life because it was apparently imperative that she leave the country in the blink of an eye. I remembered talking to another friend and coaching her on a conversation that she was supposed to have with the country director, only to find out that the "conversation" was another staff member handing her a letter saying that she was being sent home, no questions asked. I've always had trouble letting things go, I guess.
Fortunately, the prom was a wonderful affair. I was amazed by how well-dressed everyone else was, though plenty of people were sporting flip-flops. They were mostly playing American music from the last 15 years, but I kept sneaking in and putting on Swahili music (and P-Square)It was really nice to socialize with old friends (some older volunteers who were around from my time in the program) and new friends. And by the time 3:30 AM rolled around, I was sitting with some Kenyans and a couple of the older volunteers and discussing regional geo-politics.
I made sure to thank the prom organizers for a wonderful time. I can now say that I have happy memories at Afralti, which was certainly not the case before.
My name is not John
(Written on Monday night, but I never got to use internet on this trip)
Well, as always, Nairobi is an adventure. I'm only halfway done, but here goes.
The last time I was in Nairobi, a few people in different areas of Nairobi greeted me as John. I was somewhat perplexed, but I didn't put much thought into it until the third time that it happened. Well, three weeks later, people still think I'm John. Now, John seems like he's a friendly guy, and he apparently has friends stretching from Kangemi (the western end of Nairobi) to the Industrial Area (in eastern Nairobi, though not nearly the extremity), but I have enough trouble being Daniel that I just don't think I can handle this second identity.
I got in on Sunday afternoon, and took my time walking around and stretching my legs after the long bus-ride. I got to Upper Hill (a backpacker's lodge) in the afternoon and caught up with Rich and Jessie (they run the place and are really great to just hang out with). Then I caught up with Fiki, Bibi, Luki and Puppy. As you might guess, they're the dogs at the site, and they're one of my favorite parts of coming to Nairobi.
Monday, I was supposed to have a morning meeting, but then it was scheduled for earlier due to a last minute meeting arising, then it was delayed because I forgot how draining travel is, then it was postponed because of flooding. Interesting chain of events.
Instead, I went to the supermarket and bought some rechargeable batteries for my camera. I went to the dealer here in Nairobi who I set up last time I was here, and found that they couldn't get the machine to work. I can tell the source of the crookedness (the rear rack is way out of line), but I couldn't figure out how to fix the alignment, or make it work in spite of that. I went to get a bolt re-threaded, and wound up having to pay 100 shillings ($1.25 for it), which seemed incredibly steep compared to the cost of just buying a bolt (but I knew better than to spend hours searching for the correct size). Still didn't work. I figured I'd return to the technical team with some shots of the set up, but it turns out the batteries were discharged.
I went off in search of a restaurant where I could eat lunch slowly and charge the batteries, and wound up striking out at several places before finally finding a place with outlets in the seating area. I ate lunch as slowly as possible. Then, a woman named Wanjiku had the same idea as I did, so she came and sat at my table and we talked for a while. She's a Kenyan who has lived in the states for a while and she thinks I have a British accent (I checked with Jessie and Rich who agreed that I sound 0% British). I left her to watch my batteries and tried to take care of some errands. Unfortunately, my experience with the currency exchanges were complete failures. There were several in the area, but some closed at 3 PM, others wouldn't exchange Tanzanian currency (that seemed rather ridiculous) and then there was the one offering horrible rates, and as I walked out disgusted, the security guard encouraged me to try to negotiate the rates a bit. That seemed kinda sketchy. During all this time, I had this nagging desire to buy some non-rechargeable batteries so I could get on with my day, but I couldn't bring myself to create battery waste, since there really isn't a good way to dispose of used batteries here. My environmentalist side wouldn't let me but a couple of Duracells and move on.
After that, I ran to FabLab at the University of Nairobi (with enough charge on my batteries for four minutes of use) and took some pictures of their facilities and talked for a while with the director. He was defintiely impressed with our device and business plan and we talked a lot about ways to work together moving forward. I was really excited by the conversation and forgot about all my issues from earlier in the day. Better still, one of the workers in the FabLab was super-excited about the maize sheller and wants to buy some for his home area in Western Kenya. He was excited about the possibility for job creation, but joked that he might be chased out of town by some of the casual laborers who currently shell people's corn. It was really nice to have people excited about the prospect of using the machine for the community, as opposed to personal use.
Then I ran back to the bike shop and used up the last of my battery to document everything there. Then the owner invited me to come back on Wednesday morning and try the set-up on a different bike. I thanked him and headed back to grab a matatu back to Upper Hill.
I knew that I could take the number 46 or the number 48, and since I was closer to the 46, I hopped on. After a couple of minutes, I discovered that the 46 matatu does not go to the same place as the 46 bus (typically buses and matatus with the same number run the same route). In fact, the 46 matatu runs in the exact opposite direction. I got to see one of the slums in eastern Nairobi and everyone on the matatu was giving me looks to remind me that I didn't belong there. I just stayed there and rode the circuit back to town. Everyone sitting around me kept telling me that I was going to get robbed by unknown assailants reaching in through the window (I've been to that part of Nairobi before, and while I don't recommend walking around at night, I was being plenty cautious and never left the vehicle). One gentleman in the vehicle even tried to grab my phone to protect it from thieves (I was too quick for him and had too strong of a grip). Anyway, I made it back to City Centre without event (I read The Economist on my phone most of the time), though I did appreciate the perspective that comes from seeing a different side of the city.
It feels like I had a busy day, but I still have a long to do list, and Nairobi is always more complicated than I'd like.
Well, as always, Nairobi is an adventure. I'm only halfway done, but here goes.
The last time I was in Nairobi, a few people in different areas of Nairobi greeted me as John. I was somewhat perplexed, but I didn't put much thought into it until the third time that it happened. Well, three weeks later, people still think I'm John. Now, John seems like he's a friendly guy, and he apparently has friends stretching from Kangemi (the western end of Nairobi) to the Industrial Area (in eastern Nairobi, though not nearly the extremity), but I have enough trouble being Daniel that I just don't think I can handle this second identity.
I got in on Sunday afternoon, and took my time walking around and stretching my legs after the long bus-ride. I got to Upper Hill (a backpacker's lodge) in the afternoon and caught up with Rich and Jessie (they run the place and are really great to just hang out with). Then I caught up with Fiki, Bibi, Luki and Puppy. As you might guess, they're the dogs at the site, and they're one of my favorite parts of coming to Nairobi.
Monday, I was supposed to have a morning meeting, but then it was scheduled for earlier due to a last minute meeting arising, then it was delayed because I forgot how draining travel is, then it was postponed because of flooding. Interesting chain of events.
Instead, I went to the supermarket and bought some rechargeable batteries for my camera. I went to the dealer here in Nairobi who I set up last time I was here, and found that they couldn't get the machine to work. I can tell the source of the crookedness (the rear rack is way out of line), but I couldn't figure out how to fix the alignment, or make it work in spite of that. I went to get a bolt re-threaded, and wound up having to pay 100 shillings ($1.25 for it), which seemed incredibly steep compared to the cost of just buying a bolt (but I knew better than to spend hours searching for the correct size). Still didn't work. I figured I'd return to the technical team with some shots of the set up, but it turns out the batteries were discharged.
I went off in search of a restaurant where I could eat lunch slowly and charge the batteries, and wound up striking out at several places before finally finding a place with outlets in the seating area. I ate lunch as slowly as possible. Then, a woman named Wanjiku had the same idea as I did, so she came and sat at my table and we talked for a while. She's a Kenyan who has lived in the states for a while and she thinks I have a British accent (I checked with Jessie and Rich who agreed that I sound 0% British). I left her to watch my batteries and tried to take care of some errands. Unfortunately, my experience with the currency exchanges were complete failures. There were several in the area, but some closed at 3 PM, others wouldn't exchange Tanzanian currency (that seemed rather ridiculous) and then there was the one offering horrible rates, and as I walked out disgusted, the security guard encouraged me to try to negotiate the rates a bit. That seemed kinda sketchy. During all this time, I had this nagging desire to buy some non-rechargeable batteries so I could get on with my day, but I couldn't bring myself to create battery waste, since there really isn't a good way to dispose of used batteries here. My environmentalist side wouldn't let me but a couple of Duracells and move on.
After that, I ran to FabLab at the University of Nairobi (with enough charge on my batteries for four minutes of use) and took some pictures of their facilities and talked for a while with the director. He was defintiely impressed with our device and business plan and we talked a lot about ways to work together moving forward. I was really excited by the conversation and forgot about all my issues from earlier in the day. Better still, one of the workers in the FabLab was super-excited about the maize sheller and wants to buy some for his home area in Western Kenya. He was excited about the possibility for job creation, but joked that he might be chased out of town by some of the casual laborers who currently shell people's corn. It was really nice to have people excited about the prospect of using the machine for the community, as opposed to personal use.
Then I ran back to the bike shop and used up the last of my battery to document everything there. Then the owner invited me to come back on Wednesday morning and try the set-up on a different bike. I thanked him and headed back to grab a matatu back to Upper Hill.
I knew that I could take the number 46 or the number 48, and since I was closer to the 46, I hopped on. After a couple of minutes, I discovered that the 46 matatu does not go to the same place as the 46 bus (typically buses and matatus with the same number run the same route). In fact, the 46 matatu runs in the exact opposite direction. I got to see one of the slums in eastern Nairobi and everyone on the matatu was giving me looks to remind me that I didn't belong there. I just stayed there and rode the circuit back to town. Everyone sitting around me kept telling me that I was going to get robbed by unknown assailants reaching in through the window (I've been to that part of Nairobi before, and while I don't recommend walking around at night, I was being plenty cautious and never left the vehicle). One gentleman in the vehicle even tried to grab my phone to protect it from thieves (I was too quick for him and had too strong of a grip). Anyway, I made it back to City Centre without event (I read The Economist on my phone most of the time), though I did appreciate the perspective that comes from seeing a different side of the city.
It feels like I had a busy day, but I still have a long to do list, and Nairobi is always more complicated than I'd like.
Company Retreat
So I wasn't entirely truthful when I said that it's been pretty low-key over the last couple weeks in Tanzania. We had a company retreat last week, which was a great opportunity for everyone to meet and bond (we now have staff in Dar es Salaam and Mbeya, so they don't interact with the Arusha staff very often).
The retreat was super-productive (read about it here). It was entirely in Kiswahili, which was helpful, since most of the employees wouldn't be able to express their opinions fully in English, but I was definitely struggling at a few times, and I think Jodie also had a few times where she didn't grasp the whole meaning, but it definitely helped to empower all the employees and Jodie and I definitely felt our Kiswahili improving throughout the retreat.
I did see some unfortunate behavior from a few of my colleagues, which I think is going to lead to me taking on a stronger HR role. It will be a slight challenge, but I know that we need to have healthy relationships within the team, so it will definitely be worthwhile. We also had a conversation on corruption and ethics, and I felt my hardline view being assaulted from a few sides, but I was actually really happy that the issues came out, and I didn't have to cede any ground.
Also, we made chapati burritos, which were amazing. The trick this time was that we found actual limes in the market for the guacamole (usually we use unripe lemons). Unfortunately, we had a few Masai employees who were less than thrilled about the fact that the menu for the whole conference (2.5 days) did not include any meat (most staff were a little disappointed, but Masais are known for being especially carnivorous). Well, lesson learned, I guess.
The retreat was super-productive (read about it here). It was entirely in Kiswahili, which was helpful, since most of the employees wouldn't be able to express their opinions fully in English, but I was definitely struggling at a few times, and I think Jodie also had a few times where she didn't grasp the whole meaning, but it definitely helped to empower all the employees and Jodie and I definitely felt our Kiswahili improving throughout the retreat.
I did see some unfortunate behavior from a few of my colleagues, which I think is going to lead to me taking on a stronger HR role. It will be a slight challenge, but I know that we need to have healthy relationships within the team, so it will definitely be worthwhile. We also had a conversation on corruption and ethics, and I felt my hardline view being assaulted from a few sides, but I was actually really happy that the issues came out, and I didn't have to cede any ground.
Also, we made chapati burritos, which were amazing. The trick this time was that we found actual limes in the market for the guacamole (usually we use unripe lemons). Unfortunately, we had a few Masai employees who were less than thrilled about the fact that the menu for the whole conference (2.5 days) did not include any meat (most staff were a little disappointed, but Masais are known for being especially carnivorous). Well, lesson learned, I guess.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Locked Out
I'm locked out of my house right now. Through no fault of my own. It's 10:30 PM, and I've been taking refuge at the office for the past 4 hours (I've been at the office a while longer, but the locking out only happened 4 hours ago). I haven't eaten dinner, and I'm tired of the computer screen (spent most of the time doing accounting) and the cramped space (it's crowded in the evenings because we park the company motorcycle in the office) and it's cold. My phone battery is dead and my charger is locked in my room. My mind keeps jumping back to the fact that I should pack for my trip to Kenya tomorrow. The computer monitor is starting to look appetizing (okay, now I'm just being melodramatic; if food were the issue, I could go out and grab a bite at a nearby restaurant). Really, I'm just whining for the sake of whining and I want a hug. There, I said it.
Shopping experiences
I decided to buy a couple of pots today while I was in town. I stopped by a push-cart near the market that was filled with pots and knives and a whole bunch of other kitchen miscellany (and a noisy bustle that ). The gentleman initially demanded an outlandish price (7000 shillings or $4.50) for a 1.5 liter aluminum pot. I decided it wasn't worth negotiating, so I tried to walk away. The man blocked my path and told me he'd give it to me for 4,000. I told him that was still a ridiculous price and tried to get past. He implored me to take it for 3,000 and I told him that I just wanted to leave. He sheepishly asked me to take it for 2,000 (I'm pretty sure that's still above the value). I wanted to just get past him and take care of other errands, so I handed him 2,500 (I figured he'd start begging if I kept it at 2,000, which I still think was too high, but at least a somewhat reasonable mark-up).
I was also looking for a filing cabinet for the office, and those aren't available on push carts. I decided to visit a furniture store, which is a completely different experience. I was the only customer in the shop and so all the shopkeepers were rushing to help me (I was just trying to find out prices and measurements). I found a nice little 2 drawer metal cabinet with a lock for 185,000, which I figured was a bit steep, but at least it was useful to have the info. I thanked the manager and was on my way out when she informed me that delivery was free. I thanked her again and she told me that we would get a 10% discount if we agreed to pay the value added tax (Tanzanian VAT is 18%). She also mentioned that if we didn't want to pay the VAT, she would give us a receipt with a much lower price (I'm not sure if that's for her tax purposes or for ours). Well, at any rate, this was definitely educational.
I was also looking for a filing cabinet for the office, and those aren't available on push carts. I decided to visit a furniture store, which is a completely different experience. I was the only customer in the shop and so all the shopkeepers were rushing to help me (I was just trying to find out prices and measurements). I found a nice little 2 drawer metal cabinet with a lock for 185,000, which I figured was a bit steep, but at least it was useful to have the info. I thanked the manager and was on my way out when she informed me that delivery was free. I thanked her again and she told me that we would get a 10% discount if we agreed to pay the value added tax (Tanzanian VAT is 18%). She also mentioned that if we didn't want to pay the VAT, she would give us a receipt with a much lower price (I'm not sure if that's for her tax purposes or for ours). Well, at any rate, this was definitely educational.
The Tanzanian Election
There's an election in Tanzania next month. A friend assured me that there are four main political parties in Tanzania. However, driving down the street, one could be forgiven for assuming that this is a one party state. All the posters say "Chagua Kikwete, Chagua CCM" meaning "Choose Kikwete (the current president), Choose CCM (the main party)". The other mode of advertising is to have pickups drive up and down the busy streets with a man holding a bullhorn shouting slogans and blaring music. I've given up on glancing up when I hear the cacophony, it's always either CCM or the newest advertisement for "the lowest ever rates on your mobile phone!" However, today while I was in town there were a bunch of cars blocking both lanes advertising Chadema, another party. Still, all the Tanzanians who I've talked to have no doubts about the outcome of the election.
Friday, September 17, 2010
I might need to spend less time at the office
Well, there's been a little excitement over the past several days (you can read about our company retreat here), but mostly just a daily routine without much to report. But today is definitely worth sharing, so here goes (in schedule form).
7:40 Wake up, shower, dress
8:20 Arrive at the office, take care of emails and small computer tasks
9:30 Take passport photos of each staff member using the tiny webcam on my netbook
10:00 Try to set up the office bike to go around for demonstrations
10:10 Lose the master link in the bike chain and futilely attempt to search for it
10:30 Abandon search for master link and just grab a new chain
10:32 Attempt to pump up deflated tires on the bike
10:40 Passerby informs me that the rear tube is broken and can't be pumped.
10:45 Abandon plan of traveling for demonstrations to day and settle in for more computer tasks
11:15 Take some cold medicine and run to the supermarket for a liter of orange juice
11:30 Make some phone calls to Kenya to schedule meetings for next week
12:00PM Work on improving current accounting system on QuickBooks
12:30 Ugali and kales for lunch
12:45 More QuickBooks
2:30 Brain switches off, transition to reading The Economist and organizing some company files and weeding through emails
4:30 Head to the barber and lose the beard (takes about five years off of my face)
4:50 Come back to the office, settle in to QuickBooks and set up an esoteric playlist to make it more bearable
7:00 Run home and eat 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
7:10 More QuickBooks (this time, it was rather more triumphant)
10:45 Pack up the office and go home for the day (fortunately home is right next door to the office; unfortunately, Jodie and I find the arrangement allows us to stay at work until much too late)
10:47 Crash a bit and read the new issue of The Economist
11:00 More peanut butter and jelly
11:10 Left-overs (reheated groundnut stew, I tried it cold, but that was lousy; also, Jodie agreed that the taste was definitely Ghanaian)
11:45 Head out to the club (Via-Via) to watch some friends perform (I haven't seen Mic, Mass and the rest of the B-Boys on stage since January and I hadn't seen several of them since May)
12:02AM Arrive just in time for the show to start
12:25 Riotous applause
12:30 Try out the dance floor (I wasn't exactly dressed for the club with my hiking boots, dirty khakis and T-shirt, but at least I ditched the oversized MIT hoodie)
12:35 Abandon hope of good music coming on, order a coke and settle in to read The Economist off to the side
12:55 Decide to head home
12:57 DJ finally starts playing good music
1:10 Arrive home, sign in to Skype for IDDS meeting
2:30 Sign out of Skype, climb into bed and set alarm for 7:50 AM
Not really a typical day, but in some ways, not exactly atypical either. Stay tuned for another Kenyan adventure coming soon :)
7:40 Wake up, shower, dress
8:20 Arrive at the office, take care of emails and small computer tasks
9:30 Take passport photos of each staff member using the tiny webcam on my netbook
10:00 Try to set up the office bike to go around for demonstrations
10:10 Lose the master link in the bike chain and futilely attempt to search for it
10:30 Abandon search for master link and just grab a new chain
10:32 Attempt to pump up deflated tires on the bike
10:40 Passerby informs me that the rear tube is broken and can't be pumped.
10:45 Abandon plan of traveling for demonstrations to day and settle in for more computer tasks
11:15 Take some cold medicine and run to the supermarket for a liter of orange juice
11:30 Make some phone calls to Kenya to schedule meetings for next week
12:00PM Work on improving current accounting system on QuickBooks
12:30 Ugali and kales for lunch
12:45 More QuickBooks
2:30 Brain switches off, transition to reading The Economist and organizing some company files and weeding through emails
4:30 Head to the barber and lose the beard (takes about five years off of my face)
4:50 Come back to the office, settle in to QuickBooks and set up an esoteric playlist to make it more bearable
7:00 Run home and eat 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
7:10 More QuickBooks (this time, it was rather more triumphant)
10:45 Pack up the office and go home for the day (fortunately home is right next door to the office; unfortunately, Jodie and I find the arrangement allows us to stay at work until much too late)
10:47 Crash a bit and read the new issue of The Economist
11:00 More peanut butter and jelly
11:10 Left-overs (reheated groundnut stew, I tried it cold, but that was lousy; also, Jodie agreed that the taste was definitely Ghanaian)
11:45 Head out to the club (Via-Via) to watch some friends perform (I haven't seen Mic, Mass and the rest of the B-Boys on stage since January and I hadn't seen several of them since May)
12:02AM Arrive just in time for the show to start
12:25 Riotous applause
12:30 Try out the dance floor (I wasn't exactly dressed for the club with my hiking boots, dirty khakis and T-shirt, but at least I ditched the oversized MIT hoodie)
12:35 Abandon hope of good music coming on, order a coke and settle in to read The Economist off to the side
12:55 Decide to head home
12:57 DJ finally starts playing good music
1:10 Arrive home, sign in to Skype for IDDS meeting
2:30 Sign out of Skype, climb into bed and set alarm for 7:50 AM
Not really a typical day, but in some ways, not exactly atypical either. Stay tuned for another Kenyan adventure coming soon :)
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Apple Grenades?
I was talking with a friend of mine about farming the other day. She is French Canadian, and her English is really good (though sometimes I have a little trouble with her accent). We were talking about different fruits and she mentioned what sounded like apple grenades. I just returned a blank stare. She said "those fruits with lots of little red pieces that you eat." Aha. Pomegranates. But for those of you who speak French, you might see the word pomme, which is apple. I'll never be able to look at pomegranate the same again.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Writing to congress
Back in May, I wrote a letter (well, an email) to my senator. Senator Durbin is on the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform which will make recommendations to congress later this year on ways to cut the deficit. I sent him a letter asking him to aggressively pursue bipartisanship and talking a bit about my experiences with austerity (not saying that mine is an extreme case, but I wanted to give it a personal touch).
I received an initial response (the "AutoReply" subject line and "Dear friend" salutation were telling warnings) on May 3rd thanking me for my comments and telling me that his staff reads all messages and it assured me that they would "provide a response as soon as possible." Apparently August 25th was as soon as possible. That's 114 days. (On the plus side, this one had my name in the salutation).
I had long since abandoned hope of receiving a reply, and I have to say that at 231 words, including 67 words stating his beliefs on the issue was pretty impressive. He even assured me that he "will keep [my] concerns in mind" and invited me to "keep in touch." So I replied on August 28th. I'll let you know when I get a reply.
For comparison, this post is 231 words and the third paragraph is 67 words.
I received an initial response (the "AutoReply" subject line and "Dear friend" salutation were telling warnings) on May 3rd thanking me for my comments and telling me that his staff reads all messages and it assured me that they would "provide a response as soon as possible." Apparently August 25th was as soon as possible. That's 114 days. (On the plus side, this one had my name in the salutation).
I had long since abandoned hope of receiving a reply, and I have to say that at 231 words, including 67 words stating his beliefs on the issue was pretty impressive. He even assured me that he "will keep [my] concerns in mind" and invited me to "keep in touch." So I replied on August 28th. I'll let you know when I get a reply.
For comparison, this post is 231 words and the third paragraph is 67 words.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
My Sleeping Arrangement
Last night, Jodie realized that my "bed" for the past two nights is a foam mattress (about 5 inches thick) placed on top of a random pile of spare metal parts that the company is storing in my room. The pile is a bit uneven, so the shape of the mattress is about the same as an upside Nike logo. Jodie looks at me and says "Well, you're definitely not the princess and the pea." Still, this is a huge improvement over my bed where I lived in Kenya.
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